I would say the list above is very comprehensive, but much of the stuff is not necessary or completly out of most peoples price range.

Like the cream separator. Those have like 20 parts that must be taken apart washed and sterilized after each use. And they run on electricity and are very expensive. If you are milking a cow why not just let the cream rise to the top at night and then skim it? And most people will not have cotten, be able to devote the many acres needed to cotten, or will not be able to even raise cotten in their area, so why have a cotten picker? Raising sheep for wool would be better. A skinning knife and skinning pliers? I just use a really sharp knife and a hack saw. Milk pasturizer? I use my big stainless steel bowls and a stockpot double broiler style. Pickleing crocks (that are horribly expensive or immposible to find) I use half gallon mason jars, works just as well. We dont have any trailers haulers ect for our animals, we borrow them from a neighbor for trade of fresh eggs.

Remember that most real homesteaders started with very little so although all that stuff is nice, you can get by without most of it.

We are shoestring homesteaders. I get most of my stuff free or at yardsales and we do most of our work the old fashioned way. Thats whats going to happen when TSHTF. You have to just make do. If you have millions to spend refer to the above list. It's a great one. But if not buy the book

The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery and read it cover to cover. She was a modern day homesteader who knew how to "make do" with what she had on a limited budget. It has everything you could want to know on all aspects of homesteading and you might have a little hope for doing it on a budget.

Thanx Grendle and Phay... We're currently doing what we can where we are currently at. Giving the idea that TSHTF won't happen in the next 5 years or more, we plan to sell this place and get one out in the sticks a bit. Of course, we'll see how goes meanwhile. If inflation doesn't get under control, along with the economy, we may very well just have to stay right where we're at. I'm not driving a minute more to work on $5 + per gallon of gas. As it sits, now, I can ride my bike to work if it comes to that. It's only 15 minutes drive time (my drive time, not the legal one ) at the moment. The ride home would suck tho LOL. Straight up hill the whole way.....

You could say the TSHTF for me all ready.... So here is what has gone down so far when you lack enough resources.

Took a job in Hawaii for 3 months away from my remote 40 acre ranch in Northern Nevada. A week (beginning of February) before I returned a band of roving thieves came wandering through the desert and stole over $3,000 in tools after breaking into my storage shed. They also broke into my camper took the photo albums outside and tossed the pictures into the wind.

They took my tools and and broke into the neighbors place stealing $15k to $20k of tools and stuff doing the same thing with his photo albums. They carried in the now trespassing sign after ripping it out of the ground and carried my solar yard lights over to his house and sprinkled them around the yard.

Sometime during all of this they got their guns out and and put bullet holes into a 3rd neighbors mobile home.

One of the neighbors spotted the thieves leaving my area when they were run off the road. These neighbors were in the process of buying 640 acres and while they were out they someone shot at them. Then while they were in town someone went back to their place shot and killed their dog and stole some of their stuff. They have since moved out because of this.

Other things that have gone on a woman moved out there with here two kids and the cattle rancher called CPS on them so they were forced to move back to town to live in an RV park. This was because the kids didn't have quick access to hot showers, etc... guess they can't go to school a little stinky. So they had to give up their property because they couldn't afford payments on both places.

My place is just about in the middle of nowhere eleven miles off the beaten path. With gas prices it runs about $15 to $20 to go to town and back and hour of my time. So I'm forced to stay near town find work and earn enough money to eat and I can only go home about once a week.

Before you move out onto a remote property your going to have to think about security. Such as taking turns on who goes to town for supplies. Getting a security system that will call you if anything is happening at your place while your gone. Found one that will call six cell phone numbers for $350 and runs on 20 milliamps so I would guess with enough solar panels this should do the trick.

Depending on how bad things get your if you don't have access gas or diesel you'll want to be setup for some horse transportation. Before you even think of moving onto your remote property make sure there is a well or some other access to water. As soon as your move out there your income could go down considerably.

I have kind of figured out a way to fence off 40 acres of land for about $800 in barbwire but still have to get rich enough to buy the wire. Stack tires fill them full of dirt and put the barbwire between the tires.

Other things the neighbors have been doing around here is collecting used motor oil and mixing with diesel in certain ratio's and driving their trucks around on that.

Zak

I read an interesting ebook on Defending you BOL. I wish I had read it before I had finalized my current plan.

It's called HOLDING YOUR GROUND and it ain't cheap, but a VERY interesting perspective on security.

www.holdingyourground.com

Anyway, if I was starting a new place, this would provide me with some good ideas.

Hog